


Just Like It Was Before

by everysundoesntrise



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Cora Hale & Stiles Stilinski Friendship, Established Relationship, M/M, there's a hint at cora/lydia but didn't want to tag it because it's not the focus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-31
Updated: 2018-05-31
Packaged: 2019-05-16 08:38:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14807984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/everysundoesntrise/pseuds/everysundoesntrise
Summary: Cora doesn't know what the proper guidelines are for when your best friend develops a crush on you. Nor does she know why Derek finds the situation so funny.Alternative Title: Cora is a lesbian disaster who thinks her best friend has a crush on her (when he’s really dating her brother)





	Just Like It Was Before

Cora’s not entirely sure when or how it happened, but somewhere in the time between when she left Beacon Hills and when she eventually came back, she started thinking of Stiles Stilinski as her best friend. Not that she would ever tell him that; it would only inflate his ego since she knows that Stiles has also inserted himself as Lydia and her brother’s best friend in the time she was gone. Stiles Stilinski was the very definition of the fine line between utter annoyance and best friend.

All she knows is that it started about a year after she left Beacon Hills with Stiles texting her. Random things. Jokes, rants about whatever he hated (and she didn’t know that one person could hate so many things so passionately, the amount of time he dedicated to people who call movies ‘flicks’ was almost impressive), werewolf puns (that almost made her block him), and updates about her brother that Derek wasn’t giving her (that made her resist the temptation to block him). She quickly found herself replying and suddenly was entrapped in a friendship with Stiles.  

So naturally when she got back to Beacon Hills, she spent a lot of time with him, noticing things she couldn’t when they were only texting (and also calling and skyping). The way he smells when he’s in her and Derek’s apartment for one. Some sort of arousal. It’s the worst smell because she’s pretty sure it means that Stiles has a crush on her. The fact that sometimes his heart speeds up when she’s around only further cements the idea.

Her normal response to realizing that a guy is interested in her is to just stop talking to them, an easy and surefire way to avoid their heteronormative expectations. But this is Stiles and in the past year, she’s grown too fond of him to revert to her normal plan.

She settles on talking to her brother.

Derek laughs the second that she gets the words out of her mouth, “You think Stiles has a crush on you?”

She glares at him, because she could really use his support right now, “Yes. I thought we were friends but the past couple days, there have been signs hinting that he wants it to be something more.”

That only makes Derek laugh harder. She keeps her glare pointed at him until he composes himself, “Sorry. So what is the problem exactly?”

She groans. Her brother just doesn’t understand. “Stiles is my friend and I don’t want to jeopardize that,” she frowns, “Oh my god, please don’t tell him that I know. I know that you guys are good friends now and I should be the one to let him down, that he hears it first from.” Derek is practically shaking and Cora’s pretty sure he’s one minute away from breaking down in laughter though she can’t figure out why.

“Oh, don't worry, I won’t tell him,” Derek smiles, “even though we are very good friends now.” The way he says and emphasizes the word ‘friends’ confuses Cora, but she resolves that her brother is just being weird again.

“I have to tell him soon. The longer I wait the worse it could get.”

“Yeah, that’s a good idea,” Derek nods and she can tell he’s only pretending to take this seriously, “And don’t worry, Cora. Stiles had a crush on Lydia for ten years and they’re good friends. Stiles would never hold you not liking him back against you.”

It makes her feel a little better and with newfound confidence, she shoots Stiles a text to come over as soon as he can, panicking slightly that he might have interpreted the text in the wrong way. She forces Derek to go to his room and not listen to their conversation (though she’s not entirely sure he’s going to comply with the latter part considering his seemingly continuous amusement at this situation).

Within twenty minutes, Stiles has arrived and she’s gesturing Stiles to sit next to her on the couch.

Taking a couple seconds to compose herself, she begins, “Stiles, I just want you to know that I value your friendship.”

Stiles is looking at her, confusion evident, “Have you been replaced by a pod person? I don’t think you’ve ever said anything that nice to me. Even that time I had to give you CPR and saved your life.”

She’s not surprised that Stiles would bring that up; it was the closest thing to a kiss they’ve ever had and he does have a crush on her.

Thinking about his crush on her brings back her determination, “I know, okay?”

“Know what?” Stiles says back. She can hear Derek laughing in his room, which honestly was a bit rude.

“That you have a crush on me,” Cora manages to get out, “And look, I’m flattered, but-”

Stiles looks like he doesn’t know whether to laugh, scream, or cry, “You think I have a crush on you?”

Cora had seen how Stiles was so open about his other crushes in the past so she’s a bit surprised that his first reaction is denial, “Stiles, it’s okay. I’m not mad.”

“Wait, no, I’m really confused,” his eyebrows are knitted, “I don’t have a crush on you. I’m not lying. Aren’t you supposed to be human lie detectors?”

Cora doesn’t have a reply to that and the realization hits her, “Oh my god. You don’t have a crush on me.”

The exasperation on Stiles face is hard to ignore, “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you.”

She’s horrified, “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s all good, Hale. Kind of funny actually,” Stiles smiles, ruffling her hair a bit, before looking around, blushing slightly as he stands up, “Is Derek here?”

Derek, the eavesdropper, takes that as his invitation to come back to their living room just as Cora is putting the pieces together in her mind, the blushing, the smell of arousal, his increased heartbeat, “Stiles, you have a crush on my brother!”

Stiles freezes in response. She can’t believe she just blurted that out. She thought Stiles was supposed to be the one without a filter.

Derek, though, he seems to think it’s the funniest statement in the entire world and she really should teach her brother better social skills, because laughing about someone having a crush on you is never the proper reaction.

She looks at Stiles, expecting him to be mad at her and her brother, but instead he’s just staring at Derek with the fondness look on his face. Cora’s honestly surprised at herself from missing the fact that Stiles had feelings for her brother, but she pushes that aside, readying herself to defend Stiles.

Before she can, Derek laces Stiles’ hands in his, “Well, I hope so! Otherwise this would be pretty awkward.”

And while Cora’s not proud to admit it, she yelps, “Why didn’t you tell me? Either of you. You're my brother and you're supposed to be my best friend!" Stiles looks a little too smug at the best friend comment. 

Derek smirks, “It was funnier this way.”

“Oh my god, you dick, you knew that she thought I liked her?” Stiles groans, “That whole conversation was just for your amusement.”

“Yep,” Derek says, popping the ‘p’, “What are you going to do about it?”

The look in Stiles’ eyes makes Cora avert her own.

On her way out the door to leave Stiles and Derek to their obnoxious flirting, she pauses, “Wait, was the only reason you started texting me because you were dating Derek?”

“Had to get to know my future fam,” Stiles shrugs, “Plus, who knows, maybe I had a crush on you.” She ignores the wink he sends in her direction.

“I hate you.”

“Keep telling yourself that. Apparently I'm your best friend."

And she does until she’s far beyond earshot of the house so she no longer hears Derek and Stiles’ flirting and kissing and whatever else they’re planning to do now that she’s not there.

She tells herself until she ends up calling Lydia, because maybe she can have a little fun now that she knows it won’t be at the expense of her best friend (not that that was really going to stop her in the long run).

**Author's Note:**

> this was titled "fulfilling my dreams of literally everyone considering stiles their best friend #sorrynotsorry" in my google docs, just an fyi. 
> 
> also, this is slightly inspired by that tumblr post about the girl who's enemy tells her boyfriend that she has a crush on her. I couldn't find it.
> 
> please let me know what you think and if there are any errors!! i'm desperate part 2.


End file.
